To give the Miami Heat a 3-1 series lead over the Milwaukee Bucks, Jimmy Butler scored 56 points and helped lead a 14-point comeback to achieve a 119-114 win on Monday night. It was a historic performance from an NBA superstar.
Butler not only set a new playoff career high for points in a game, he set a new Heat franchise playoff record while also tying for the fourth highest scoring postseason performance in NBA history. The rally back from 14 down was Miami’s greatest comeback of the season.
“We knew what we were capable of, even if nobody outside of this building, outside of this roster and outside of this organization believed in us,” Butler said. “That’s fine. We just want to continue to do what we know is possible.”
The Heat overcame some strong performances by the Bucks. Brook Lopez had 36 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks, whereas Giannis Antetokounmpo had 26 points, 13 assists, and 10 rebounds also occurred. Butler’s play was just too much for Milwaukee. Antetokounmpo returned from a back injury after being sidelined for two games.
“We deserved to win that game,” Heat center Bam Adebayo said, “because he played incredible.”
NBA NEWS & PLAYOFFS: Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat & Milwaukee Bucks Updates
The Bucks now face the daunting task of having to achieve three consecutive victories to avoid first-round elimination despite holding a lead for almost the whole game. Miami scored 41 points in the fourth quarter after failing even to hit the 30 mark in any other period. The Heat shot 8-9 from the floor in the final six minutes, and Milwaukee was just 4-13. As a result, Miami outscored the Bucks 30-13 to end the game.
“We didn’t make enough plays on either end,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “And they did.”
Butler had 21 of his points in the fourth, and the Heat still trailed 101-89 after a layup by Lopez with 6:09 left. With 3:17 left in the game, Miami went on a 13-0 run, capped by Butler’s dunk off a Bucks turnover. Miami took the lead for good on Butler’s 3-pointer with 1:20 left. A step-back jumper followed on the Heat’s next possession, and he celebrated by punching the air.
NBA NEWS & PLAYOFFS: Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat & Milwaukee Bucks Updates
“For 40 minutes of this game, it was frustrating. … It just shows you that when you have the right grit and perseverance, you can win,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “And then it always helps to have a guy like him.”
The only players to score more in a playoff game were Michael Jordan in 1986 (63 points), Elgin Baylor in 1962 (61 points), and Donovan Mitchell in 2020 (57 points). Charles Barkley, Wilt Chamberlain, and Michael Jordan are the others to have 56 with Butler.
“He obviously played great,” Lopez said. “He’s been great all series long. He’s been aggressive. He’s been knocking down shots, shooting the 3 extremely well. There hasn’t been a thing he hasn’t been doing. It’s a tough draw, but we have to keep getting better, keep making life tough for him, one game at a time.”
NBA NEWS & PLAYOFFS: Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat & Milwaukee Bucks Updates
For the Heat, Adebayo scored 15, Caleb Martin had 12, and Gabe Vincent had 10. Again, Butler’s play strongly overshadowed all. He set the tone scoring 22 of Miami’s 28 points in the opening quarter, which included scoring 20 consecutively in a little under six minutes. With 21 more in the fourth, he led a huge comeback that put an NBA-best 58-game winning team on the brink.
The Heat had no answer for Butler in pick-and-roll situations, accounting for 21 of his total points. The other play type that comfortably exceeded the double-figure scoring threshold for the Heat sensation was in transition (18). However, he scored in many ways within the game’s flow when adding in spot-ups, isolation, post-ups, and cutting.
The Bucks need to tighten up in how they are handling Butler in the half-court and in the open floor. Will Antetokounmpo be healthy enough to be deployed directly onto Butler? Given the reputation that the “Greek Freak” has defensively, he may need to take on that assignment similar to how Draymond Green has done so for the Golden State Warriors.
NBA NEWS & PLAYOFFS: Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat & Milwaukee Bucks Updates
Perhaps most concerning for the Bucks is that Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton each scored just 14 points on a combined 10-31 shooting from the floor and 4-16 from 3-point range. Both players are supposed to be integral core members, but underachieved in a high stakes game.
“The series is still going,” Spoelstra said. “And we have great respect for the championship DNA that group has.”
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